Edison2 Wins Progressive Auto X Prize for Fuel-efficient, Low-cost Car Design
Edison2, designed by Ron Mathis has won the Progressive Auto X Prize, for developing featherweight conventional car that runs on gasoline or ethanol. The Auto X Prize is a race to build the most fuel-efficient, low-cost, production-ready vehicle. The prize money goes into the design of the most efficient eco-vehicle in the contest.
Chief designer Ron Mathis’ three designs entered the finals of the contest and his Edison2 was the only team to be selected. The team took away half the $10 million prize for its $20,000 car.
Mathis had made multiple entries in the contest, with his cars competing in the
Mainstream class (four seats and luggage space), and the Alternative Tandem class (two seats and one seat in the rear).
Mathis has 30 years of experience in professional racing and has worked for Audi, Jaguar and Dodge. He has been designing vehicles capable of achieving 100 MPGe, over the past one year. Other teams, Li-Ion and X-Tracer’s, entries also made it to the final and shared the remaining $5 million of the prize money.
(Via Inhabitat)
President Eisenhouer instigated or installed the interestate system in the U.S. The largest objection to wind power is you have to build haul roads and power lines to connect the windmills to the grid,and not in my back yard. Why couldn’t the windmills be set up in the median of the interstate hwy.system and let the proceeds help support the hwy.system. That would reduce the acerage that is going to waste now. A short driveway is all that would be needed to access the individual windmills,and there are high tension power lines that cross the roads every few miles. A sub station could be put by any of the power lines to make connection.
Hydro: nearly every waterway in the country has dams. Why can’t a waterwheel be floated by the water on arms to allow it to float up and down with the water level just below the dams. Just below the dam you have fast moving water that never freezes up in the winter.There would be no impact on fish life or recreational use of that area of the river. Power could be by pumping water into a powerhouse on shore to run a turbine or by installing a generator in the floating waterwheel. Granted these are small power sources, but every little bit helps.